Submarine



A. HEISE SUBMARINE Dec. 20, 192 7.

Dec. 20, 1927. 1,653,175

A. HElsE SUBMARINE Filed June 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 liatente'dilles@ 210,192?.

PATENT omer..

SUHMRNE.

Appicatienkle June 1B,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvementsin'submarines and has as an object the provision of a device Wherebymeans ofescape are provided in the event the craft is disabled whilesubmerged which means also provides a line et communication With the,interior of the craft.

Many distressing and appalling accidents have occurred in the submarinenavies of the lo world when the machinery of the submarine has lbecomedisabled through collision or other means, due to the fact that noescape is provided for any one or more occupants of the disabled craftwhen the same is submerged and unable to rise to the surface Therefore,this invention has visits primary object the provision of an improvedappli ance wherein en efficient means of escape from s, disabledsubmarine craft is provided which means establishes a line of communication ,with the interior of the disabled craft and is capable of beingretracted into the craitto provide means of escapetor the remainingpersons.

Anotner, object oi this invention resides in the provision cian.improved appliance 'for submarines which is so designed and constructedas to be capable of atiording a free release irrespective of the lie oi'the craft on the bottom of the sea.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of animproved and eiiicient appliance of the character described which may bereadily applied to submarines of all types Without in any wise impairingtheir normal operation. 4

l@ftentimcs submarines, upon being disabled, can be brought to 'thesurface if a few pounds oil additional air pressure can be ob tained.lleretoforc, this has been impossible with the crat't disabled ouilledoor oi the sea and this invention has as a further object the provisionof an appliance of the character described whereby the release ot' theappliance to thc surface and its opening by the person therein affordsmeans whereby thc additional air required may be readily drawn into thecraft to thus give it the buoyancy necessary to 'float it to thesurface.

And a still ini-ther object of this invention resides in the provisionof an improved appliance o1 the charafter described having improvedrelease doors and means for operating the same.

lll] ith the aboveiand other objects in View' 1926. Serial Ho. 16,884.

which will appear as the description prophysical embodiment of myinvention conl structed according to the best mode I have so tar devisedfor the practical application of the principles thereof, and in whichFigure l is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, takentransversely through one section of a submarine cralt vembodyiufig myinvention, parts thereof being broken away and said view being taken onthe plane of the line y,ll-l of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a View, partly in section and partly in elevation, takenthrough Figure 1 on the plane or" the line 2--2g Figure 3 is a Viewtaken transversely thrtugh Figure l on the plane of theline o, Figure eis a fragmentary detail view, partly in vsection and partly inelevation, taken through Figure 2 on the plane of theA line 4L-4;illustrating the means for securing the end cap or cover of the buoy,and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a submarine illustratingthe respec- ,tive disposals of more than one appliance to e craft.

Referring new more particularly to the accompanying drawings, in whichlike nu merels designate like parts throughout the several views, thenumeral 5 designates a submarine craft of any construction having aconventional hull or body portion, the. interior of which is dividedinto an engine room, battery rooms, torpedo rooms and the like as iscustomary in craft of this kind and located in one or more compartmentsand extending' across the hull' 6 and intersecting its axis is a tube orcylinder 7 having its ends closed by movable doors 8, tobe laterdescribed lr' desired, more than one cylinder or tube 7 may be provided,as il lustrated in Figure 5, in which event their axes are arranged atdilerent angles with respect to each other so that irrespective of thecraft-s angle of repose, one cylinder ni l @he eylindeie and rew'h :ireidenieal @lines une' .i applieneee eonneeed il in Consi in demi i"echdoor 99 sind iwf:

'e reine'fter described.

hinged io the hulh es et nuler rw er bead l@ ou its inner ieee n ecorresponding groove or channel :e hull eoncenlrie with. -the Cylinderand to insure n u 'when iiie same ch e i'exese door m' i peeking; l2therein ont, inbei i3 coeftuziling described. adjacent ile vibo Einounf'ed in *die hull oi the arl Qi and :i stelling bos.

or pue e eners *die :he Wheel hreeding die uro t ng he extreme outerend. ,J of il' 'rem i'he iin f1.6 end eenen k; ille spi'i i 'the door iirod engegin exert in opening pressure-on an opposite movement of he theend 29 of the seine with 'the lin l@ l; lose nie door il.

ein n or lip 30 is formed en the portion of ine door S diametri/callyopposed lo ithe hinge 9 'for engagement by e plunger er rod il y". eh isprojectable lirough the hull of the emit zu: :i peeking gland orstuifing box io esteri'. an opening 'force on the door when it isdesired .lo nieve bhe seine to its open position. The plunger 3l passesinto the interior of lie ereii, eXteriorly of the eylind. i 7 and Worksin e, Cylinder 325, one 'end or Whiuli is connected With theinterioiilnough :in elbow 34, there being ii Valve controlled by e bendWheel 35 located therein. A. piston 3G is mounted in be cylinder $33:ind has i'he inner end oi' the rod Si eouneeiiml llierewiih, enexpensile spring ill" :it :ill limes tending to urge the piston 36 iniothe .'zylinder 'to hold ihe end of the rod l oui oi contact with thedoor lip 30.

en., his been illuslreted' The inferior oi 'the cylinder iseomu'iunieable ein each end with the outside ihrough duee 3S having'control *elves 39 l'hcrein eo ibut the preseure of he Wiiier on theoui"- side oi' the croit may be introduced into ilie interior of lhecylinder lo es si; in the opening of the door 8 through which egress isLo be made. Upon the opening of any one of ihe valves 39, the pressureWithin the Cylinder 7 equelizes with the outside pressure and assumingWheel .28 hns been i'oieied to reir-ziet rod. 20, the door through whichis no be made is iniiinlly opened by the adjacent plunger or rod 3l,pro-vided its mire is open, due to the increased aree, oi Adie pieonover that of the rod.

lifter the door has been initially opened by the plunger 3l, the spring18 exerts sinh* Cioni force ko swing die door to its full open positionillustrated by dotted lines in Figure l, thus' permitting "che eeeapefrom the chamber or cylinder 7' of the buoy 40 new about so bedescribed. v

fl`he buoy i0 is in the form oi e easing or housing il of e, diameterand length to receive et leest one man and he ende thereof are closed bydoors; or oeps e2. Each door or cap l2- ie preferably of substeniiallyeone-sliepe and is hinged to the casing lll, es al: 35 and. has sinannuler flange or bead lil @operai-,ing with en annular paokj recess inille end-o' the easing, the caps bi ne; secured closed by Wing nntethreaded on pivoled bolle 4:6 Carried thereby and engageuble betvieenpairs of spaced lugs Ll? 'formed on *the casing adjacent lie ends of thebols. Gooperetihg with the Wing nulle are :i plurality of locking levers48 secured' to stub shafts i9 which are 30mneled in fluid tight bearings50 in the oeps or Covers. "lhe outer ends of lie Shafts 49 are squared,fs at 51, end handle portions 52- are eiiended from the looking levers48, thus providing ineens for locking the caps or covers closed, from'the exterior of the housing as Well es from the interior. i

wrench 53 engageeble over the squired ond of the. shafts lo :facilitate`the manipulation, of the looking levers :from the outside. Suitable oemshaped looking; lugs 54 are :irrenged to be engaged by the lookinglevers e8, as bes illuetreled in Figure 4i. The caps 42 also have a,plurality of lugs or p1o jeeiione orined hereon adjacent theirperipheral edges to mount a platform 56 in 1he inveried cap and e porthole 57 of the usual type used in submarine Constructions is likewiseprovided so that the occupant of the buoy may survey the surroundingarea after 'the seme has reached the surface in the manner laterdescribed.

The cylinder 7 hes an eni'rzinee 5S lending to the interior olf thecraft and which is closed by abulk heed door 59 provided Lessors wiii e.peeking @il and renorslily secured in 'piece by s series o' lockinglevers 6l. oi coi similar io ilie eoir struction or' cking levers oniilie slieiis of?. handle members 63 are i'o Y nil; .'lie operation oilille leve-rs from the inside of 'the submarine, fElie loclr" -g lngportions (is of the levers wei so in inclined recesses 35 in the 'Welloi? zlie passage pair concentric spertures 66 end 67 are formed in illeopposiie Walls of the cylinder 7 sdjsceiil: escli door 8 to removablymount die bearing nn ers 68 ond 69, respecizively, of s. drinn elisir.'70. The meinQ ber 68 is in the firm a 'tapered bearing' and 'lle member(i9 is in alle iorm of. s larger piste haring s. sngge 7l which may loesecured izo ilie housing i' by bolts or other :ineens lf2 so Cerise theinerobers and 68 io have e. snug iis in iheir apertures, which arepreiierel'ily tapered.

The simili; Y@ ini-o *alle interior of the submarine i-lirongli thepiste member 69 and lies o. Z3 splined thereon, with which pinion "17sis ineslied. The shaft of ilse pinion is removably journsled in sbearingportion 76 mousied adjacent tile opening il? so "when the pinion,is ro taied by s. crs'nl'c Z7 'lie simili "i0 roisies to Wind or 'unwindeelile 78 on a drum 79 io ille sli i; 7G izo eonizrol alie buoy. Thecable is co Used Wiiii. the eye il@ of s 'fel-,resided liolvbsdjnsiaiile in "elle nose of the ioWeri-nost esp. lools or slisfi, 8l iscarried by eseli oep oli elle buoy and is negli e siiiiiing loos orpecking sod threaded in s. spider 83 seiie csp, losing; extended orretireesu ed. 'oy en opereiin\ Wheel l/l on iis inner end, laterdescril'iede The drum YQ, when its esble is Wound thereon, is of ediemeier less iban the diameier of 'ille opening 67 to permit thereinovsl oi the cable drum therethrough and its seciircn'ient et eitherend of tlie iuloe 7 so that in the event ilie'eraft is so positioned onthe bottoni oi the ocean chst the normal upper end of ille cylinder 7 islowermost, Jalle drum may be removed from the position illustrated inFigure 1 and mounted at the opposite end. This reverses the direciion ofille 1ouoyy end the cable 79 is connected 'with lie other eye 80 by e.snep 0r readily detachable clevis device 85 and tlie openii'igg's Giland 67, when not in use :ire`

closed by plaies 86 and S7, respectively.

Also Wound on the drum 79 and strung alongside the cable 78 is en airliose 88,

one end` of which is conncozilile wiili ilioinierior oi ilie vbuoyiliroiiglithe lowermosi;

^ csp by s coupling plug 89 iliresded in an the oever only connectedWiili die lowerinos esp, as illusiraied.. The ozlier end, of the airhose is eonneeed in any manner with ille interior oi? lie slieit 70which tubular sind llio end oi ilse shaft ouiwerdly of the gear 53 isiiresded, es si; 91, izo receive die coupling 92 off an air pipe 98leading to im sir pump, not shown. Telephone Wires 94 leedn ing to aninstrument- 95 normally mounted in *die buoy and io sin instrument 96locsied Within lie craft. ore also preferably lead through *elle hose 88to contacts 97' mounted. on and insulated from Jdie gear 73 and. withwhich spring contacts 98 ere engsgealole.

Assuming the croit equipped with my improved loiioy becomes dissbled,one of the occupants ,may 'oe readily dispatched to the surface todisplay signs of distress. The seamen elected for this duty first entersthe cylinder 7 through the passage 58, releases ille latch i3 of theuppermost door 8, and chen opens the csp or cover i2 of the buoy, whichis normally positioned .with *die iop oi' the housing 4i adjacent illeboitoni or the passage 58, :is sliown in dotted lines in Figure l. Tilebuoy is held in lle cylinder by s plursliy of locking members,consisting of cronies 10,0 secured io pointedserews iol which passthrough the casing and engage the inner ws-li of the tube 'i'.

After opening the cover i2, ille seaman engages ille liinpged prop d2therewith io hold it open While he enters the buoy., after which illedoor '59 is closed by the crew in side faire submarine. After enteringthe buoy is Closed and secured in place lny iiie Wing nuts l5 and thelevers 48, the seamen being equipped with suitable oxygen equipment, notshown. When the cover 42 lies been securely closed, the nien Within thesubmarine ere advised than: all is in readiness by means of thetelephone system, who lien retractthe rod 20, open the upper valveactuated by liend Wheel 35, end open the lowerrnosi4 Valve 39 to allowthe ses io enter the cylinder.

, As the Waer rises in the clismlJ/er 7, the buoy ocennent retrscis thescrews 101 and the buoy oats Wirliin 'the tube. When the pressurewit-hin the cylinder 7 equals that outside the orafi, door 8 isinitially opened by the rod 51 in the' manner hereinbefore deseriloedand by ille normal pressure oi the leroy tliereagsinst due to iisbuoyance, However, assuming the door 8 is frozen in lpiece and refusesto respond to the plunger 3l and the pressure tliereagsinst, the buoy islocked in the cylinder 7 by the pointed screws 10i and the hund wheel 84rotated to cause the eyelet 8O to produce mi opening pressure on thedoor.

As the door opens, the screws 10i are again retrsoied and the buoyleaves the cylinder i', rising to' the surface under the control ofnotaire rockets or other distress signals.

@tcntimes when a submarine craft hecomes disabled it may be readilyraised by its own power it' additional air pressure can be obtained. andin this event the ccupant of the buoy upon opening the plug 9i signalsto the cra-ttthrough the telephone system and the pumps, not shown, drawin the necesA sary additional air through the line 88.

Assuming the crait to be hopelessly disabled, the buoy allor-ds a meansof escape for the entire crew. lThe lirstman, after leaving' the buoy atthe surface, closes the. cover and secures it thus by means ot theWrench 5.3, duplicates ot' which are carried by the entire crew. Thebuoy is then retracted, by Winding the cable oni its drum, into thecyl-- inder 7. After the buoy has been fully retracted into 4thecylinder, the occupants ol the craft first close valve 539 and the valveactuated by the upper hand wheel cutting off all communication ot thecylinder 35 with `the outside Water pressure. rl,`he Water Within.y thecylinder is then drained through a pet coclr 10B, allowing the spring 57to retract the piston 36 and rod 3l.

The door 8 is then closed by actuation of the rod 20, the pressure onboth vsides thereoil is equal and rod 3l is retracted, and when firmlyclosedthe water Within the cylinder 7 is removed by pumps (not shown)through the lower of two valve. passages 104. is the Water level Withinthe cylinder lowers, the buoy comes with it and 'when it reaches thedesired position viz, with the top of the buoy proper in line with thebottoni oi' passage 58, the door 59 is opened to allow the next memberof the crew to enter the buoy. lt is not necessary that the entirevolume o Water be removed from the cylinder, but if so desired the buoyis iirst secured in its desired position by manipulation of the cranks10G, after which the remainder ot the. Water may be pumped out.

The escape o1 the last man'rnay readily be eii'ected as the entireoperation may be accomplished alone. ln this case, the pet eoclr 103 isclosed, the valve controlled by hand wheel 255 opened, rod 20 retracted,

crank 77 and pinion 74 removed to eliminate all possible interference tothe ascent of the buoy, and the door 59 and the lower sca cock 39opened. Before the Water has risen to the level of the passage 58 ampletime remains to close the door 59 from the cylinder, enter the buoy andsecure its cover in place. The opening of the door S and the escape ofthe buoy is then the same as before described.

Assuming new that the craft has been disabled and rests on the bottom ofthe sea in such a manner that it becomes necessary to release the buoyin the direction opposite to that described, in other Words the position of the buoy is reversed, the cable drum is removed land secured atthe opposite end of the cylinder 7,'in the manner novv about to bedescribed.

The buoy is first entered at its end adjacent the passage 5S, which endis now lowermost, to retract the locking screws 101 and permit the buoyto hang troni its cable 78, and to `release the inside cover locks e5 atthe upper end. The cover e2 is then se cured closed and the buoy loweredby the crank 77, to a position with the top of the casing 4l .adjacentthe bottom ot' the pas- Sage 58. `With `the buoy "in this position,water is permitted to enter the cylinder until the buoy loats, 'when theclevis may be removed from the eye 30, and the plug' 89 removed and thetelephone Wires disconnected at a plug 105.

After removing these connections-v the nonT upper cover 42 is opened topermit a seaman to enter the buoy and again engage the screws 1101 withthe cylinder 7 and secure the buoy in position. rlhe Water is thenpumped out ot' the cylinder so that plug 91 may be removed and thetelephone and air lines connected. The floor board is then removed and'secured to the lovvermost cover.

Transferring ot the cable reel to the other end ot the cylinder may bereadily eiiected as hereinbet'ore described, it being' necessary,

however, to connect the telephone plug 105, clevis and air hose plug 89through opening (57 before the insertion of the reel therein. The buoyis now in position oruse in. identically the saine manner ashereinbetore described.

vlllien the submarine with which my irn-y proved device is to be usen eteifrceptionn ally large proportions, the cylinder eontaining the buoymay be made in two sections, each complete in Iitseltl and identicalwith that hereinbetore described, except that but. one end opens to thesea, the other end being closed and terminating Within the craft. Thisarrangenientallows the passage along the longitudinal axis of thesubmarine to be unobstructed and eliminates Waste of valuable space. i i

From the 'foregoing description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings it Will be readily obvious to those skilled in theart to which an invention ot this character appertains that I haveprovided a means of escape from a sunken4 submarine which is practicaland which. Will* in no way hinder the operation of the craft and ifdesired the buoy may be equipped with an antenna to be raised uponreaching,-

the surface, to provide means tor radio coinmunication for the sunkensubmarine.

What l claim as my invention is:

l. The combination lwith a submarino craft, of a compartment within thevessel having an opening,` to the interior ol' thr craft and an opening''to the exterior oi the craft, closures i'or said openings, a buoydevice normally located within the compartment and having provision forreceiving anv occupant, means releasably locking' the closure leading'to the exterior oi the craft, means operable to equalize the pressurewithin the compartment to that without the crai't, and means operable bythe pressure within thc compartment being increased to tend to impartinitial opening movement to said last-mentioned closure.

2. The coiiibination with a submarine craft, oi' a compartment withinthe. craft having an opening to the interior of the craft and to theexterior thereof, closures for said openings, a, buoy device normallylocated within the compartment and hav ing:r provision for receiving anoccupant, means releasably locking thev closure leading` to the exterioroit' the craft, means operable to equalize the pressure Within thecompartment to that Without the craft, n'ieans operable by, the pressurewithin the compartment being increased to tend to inipart initialopening,` movement to said lastinentioned closure, and ineens operablefrom the interior of the buoy to torce the last-mentioned closure openvin the eventtlie pressure operated means fails to operate said closure.

3. The combination With a submarine having an opening to the interiorand an openingto the exterior thereof, closures for said openings, abuoy device normally located within the compartment and havingprovisions ttor receiving an occupant, means releas'ably locking theclosure leading to the exterior of the craft, means operable to equalizethe pressure Within the compartment to that without the craft, meansoperable by the pressure Within the compartment being` increased to tendto impart initial opening movement to said last-mentioned closure, andadditional means for completing the initial movement oise-idlast-mentioned closure.

4, The combination with a submarine craft, oi" a compartment within thecraft having an opening to the interior and an opening to the exteriorthereof, closures for said openings, a, buoy device normally locatcdwithin the compartment and havingl provisions for receiving an occupant,means releasably locking' the closure leading to the exterior of thecraft, means operable to equaL ize the pressure Within the compartmentvto that without the' craft, means operable by the pressure within thecompartment being increased to tend to impart initial opening;-niovement to said last-mentioned closure, additional means 4forcompleting the initial movement of said lastanentioned closuren and in`aus operable from the interior of the sub marine craft to close saidclosure.

5. The combination with a submarine craft, of a compartment within thecraft havingy an opening to the interior and an opening to the exteriorthereof, closures for said openings, a buoy device normally locatedwithin the compartment and having provisions for receiving an occupant,means releasably locking the closure leading; to the exterior of thecraft,` means permitting the entrance of sea Water to the lcompartmentto equalize the pressure therein with that without the craft, wherebythe buoy iioa'ts upwardly in the compartment to abut the last-mentionedclosure, and means operable from the interior of the buoy device 'tovimpart an initial opening movement to the last-mentioned closure.

`r6,;"fhe combination with a submarine craft, oit a compartment Withinthe craft having an opening to the interior and an opening to theexterior tliereoi, closures for said openings, a buoy device normallylocated Within the compartment and having provisions for receiving anoccupant, means releasably locking` the closure leading` to the exteriorof the craft, means permitting the entrance of sea Water to thecompartment to equalize the pressure therein vvitli that Without 'thecraft. whereby the buoy floats upwardly in the compartment to abut thelast-mentioned closure, means operable from the interior of the buoydevice to impart an initial opening movement to thelast-nientionedclosure` and yieldable means operable to complete theopening movement of said closure. y

7. rlhe combination with a submarine craft. of a compartment Within thecraft having an opening to the interior and an opening to the exteriorthereof, closures for said openings. a buoy device normally locat edWithin the compartment and having provisions for receiving an occupant,means releasably locking the closure leading to the exterior ot thecraft. means permitting the entrance oi' sea `water to the compartmentto equalize the pressure therein With that 'With out the craft` wherebythe buoy iioats upwardly in the compartment to engage the last-mentionedclosure, means operable Jfrom the interior of the buoy device. to makethe same' tast in the compartment with its 4uppermost ond engaging` theclosure, and means projectable trom the'buoy device to engage theclosure and impart an initial opening movement thereto.

8. The combination with a submarine craft; ot a compartmentextendingrtransversely thereacross and opening at its ends to ih@ soa, Closu nosfor tho opeai ends of the oozlopmimeut, means pomtng entrance to thocompartment from ith@ interior the craft, buoy nofmzy within Smidcompari monk, 'and moons polmtw tho rebase of ho m'jnfont en@ the buon'.und monos; pol

knitting; (he buoy to low-:o the Uomprfwmem ommffs ih@ o ooms permit then, i

'lw u oucto" described.

n' mun.

'from @ber the imof each Covey io @lo thore'zo.

'15. in a dowwo w. n buoy, ffoo'vpmwo; un oponoodod cymdor.

complmnennr3' mso sopa dom 1 the @nds of ibo cyhxdsma mf lo# .Ti mp5:may bo occured iosor tho interior oV le: Cap.

U5. n o. dao@ of m de: "":imfL a; buoy, Comp oylmdei'.

conq'omenm the @clim ow i1 be secured dogmi exterior, und m on of am ab:

l Ultimo' my signature.

